CVE-2021-41228: Code injection in `saved_model_cli`

Severity: high (CVSS 7.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: yes
Published: 2021-11-05 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-78

Description

TensorFlow is an open source platform for machine learning. In affected versions TensorFlow's `saved_model_cli` tool is vulnerable to a code injection as it calls `eval` on user supplied strings. This can be used by attackers to run arbitrary code on the plaform where the CLI tool runs. However, given that the tool is always run manually, the impact of this is not severe. We have patched this by adding a `safe` flag which defaults to `True` and an explicit warning for users. The fix will be included in TensorFlow 2.7.0. We will also cherrypick this commit on TensorFlow 2.6.1, TensorFlow 2.5.2, and TensorFlow 2.4.4, as these are also affected and still in supported range.

Affected products

tensorflow: from 2.4.0 before 2.4.4; from 2.5.0 before 2.5.2; from 2.6.0 before 2.6.1; 2.7.0-rc0, 2.7.0-rc1 — fixed in 2.4.4, 2.5.2, 2.6.1

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: tensorflow 2.4.4, 2.5.2, 2.6.1. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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